Advanced Research on Lignin and Nanostructured Lignin: Biodegradation, Properties and Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 5600

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biological and Ecological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Via San Camillo de Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: catalysis; multifunctional materials; lignin; oxidation; biocatalysis; multicomponent reactions; redox processes

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Guest Editor
Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Via San Camillo de Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: lignin cosmetic applications; sun protector factor; photochemistry

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Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Agrobiologia ed Agrochimica, Università della Tuscia, Via S. Camillo de Lellis s.n.c., 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: organic chemistry; bioorganic chemistry; chemistry of natural substances and catalysis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lignin is the most abundant polyphenol in nature. The pulp, paper, and biofuel industries generate lignin as waste in high amounts. For this reason, the design of novel processes for the valorization of lignin plays a key role in circular economy and green chemistry. Among them, the biodegradation of lignin is an important tool for the transformation of the starting material in order to produce high added fine chemicals, facilities, and commodities. In addition, present-day innovative nanotechnology has increased the chemical potentiality of biodegraded lignin by opening the way for the preparation of nanostructures characterized by improved chemophysical, rheological, and electrochemical properties.

This Special Issue welcomes experimental studies focusing their attention on the following topics:

  • frontiers in the production of added value compounds by microbial degradation of lignin (including biofuel);
  • role of redox enzymes or lignin-degrading auxiliary enzymes for the production of commodities and aromatic compounds;
  • fractionation process of biodegraded lignin and successive nanotechnology and nano-biotechnology applications;
  • application of biodegraded lignin in material sciences and biosensors;
  • application of biodegraded lignin in biocatalysis and biomedical devices.

Original studies and comprehensive reviews on these topics will be accepted for the Special Issue in order to update our knowledge regarding the sustainable applications of biodegraded lignin.

Dr. Eliana Capecchi
Dr. Davide Piccinino
Prof. Dr. Raffaele Saladino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polyphenols
  • lignin valorization
  • lignin biodegradation
  • lignin fractionations
  • lignin fine chemicals
  • lignin nanostructures
  • lignin advanced applications

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

30 pages, 3175 KiB  
Review
The Biomodified Lignin Platform: A Review
by Filippo Fabbri, Sabrina Bischof, Sebastian Mayr, Sebastian Gritsch, Miguel Jimenez Bartolome, Nikolaus Schwaiger, Georg M. Guebitz and Renate Weiss
Polymers 2023, 15(7), 1694; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15071694 - 29 Mar 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4719
Abstract
A reliance on fossil fuel has led to the increased emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The excessive consumption of raw materials today makes the search for sustainable resources more pressing than ever. Technical lignins are mainly used in low-value applications such as heat [...] Read more.
A reliance on fossil fuel has led to the increased emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The excessive consumption of raw materials today makes the search for sustainable resources more pressing than ever. Technical lignins are mainly used in low-value applications such as heat and electricity generation. Green enzyme-based modifications of technical lignin have generated a number of functional lignin-based polymers, fillers, coatings, and many other applications and materials. These bio-modified technical lignins often display similar properties in terms of their durability and elasticity as fossil-based materials while also being biodegradable. Therefore, it is possible to replace a wide range of environmentally damaging materials with lignin-based ones. By researching publications from the last 20 years focusing on the latest findings utilizing databases, a comprehensive collection on this topic was crafted. This review summarizes the recent progress made in enzymatically modifying technical lignins utilizing laccases, peroxidases, and lipases. The underlying enzymatic reaction mechanisms and processes are being elucidated and the application possibilities discussed. In addition, the environmental assessment of novel technical lignin-based products as well as the developments, opportunities, and challenges are highlighted. Full article
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